Reimagining Climate Change Education As a Panacea to Climate Emergencies

Benjamin DAMOAH

doi:10.38142/ijesss.v4i4.590

Authors

Benjamin DAMOAH Walter Sisulu University, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38142/ijesss.v4i4.590

Keywords:

Climate change education, Climate emergencies, Climate change crisis, emergency response, Sustainable development

Abstract

Climate change education refers to the process of educating people about the causes, effects, and solutions to climate change. It is a critical component of efforts to address the global climate crisis, as it helps individuals understand the need for action and empowers them to make informed decisions in their personal and professional lives. The paper argued that drastic measures are required to reduce climate change threats, which is a visible adversary that demands the same emergency reaction as the COVID-19 pandemic. Education is considered a response to rising worldwide environmental concerns in the twenty-first century. The world's environmental issues necessitate immediate attention to climate change education. This paper is based on the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory lensed with a transformative paradigm. It explores the present inherent global risk to human health and environmental well-being, as well as its implications for future natural disasters. As a result, this paper contends that an innovative approach to addressing the climate change threat through education is necessary. The paper proposed, among other things, a speedy response to climate change challenges through coordinated worldwide support for climate change education for sustainable development and the inclusion of climate change education in all sectors, integrating climate change education across all disciplines, focusing on social justice and equity, engaging with diverse perspectives, and encouraging action and advocacy.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Canton, H. (2021). World Meteorological Organization—WMO. In The Europa Directory of International Organizations 2021 (pp. 388-393). Routledge.

Do, D. N. M., Hoang, L. K., Le, C. M., & Tran, T. (2020). A human rights-based approach in implementing sustainable development goal 4 (Quality Education) for ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Sustainability, 12(10), 4179.

Bloomfield, J., & Steward, F. (2022). Strategies for Climate Change Post COP26. The Political Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.13125

Botzen, W., Duijndam, S., & van Beukering, P. (2021). Lessons for climate policy from behavioral biases towards COVID-19 and climate change risks. World Development, 137, 105214.

Buc, S., & Divjak, B. (2015). Innovation Diffusion Model in Higher Education: Case Study of E-Learning Diffusion.International Association for Development of the Information Society, International Conference e-learning, 2015, pp. 205-207. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED562467.pdf

Christensen, J. M., & Olhoff, A. (2019). Emissions gap report 2019. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Gigiri Nairobi, Kenya.

https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020

https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2019

Nazari, F., Khosravi, F., & Babalhavaeji, F. (2013). Applying Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory to the acceptance of online databases at the University Zone of Iran. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 18(3), 25-38. https://ajba.um.edu.my/index.php/MJLIS/article/view/1873

Schneider, R.O. (2011), "Climate change: an emergency management perspective", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561111111081

UNEP, U. (2020). Emissions gap report 2020. UN environment program.

UNESCO. (2022). Climate change education.

https://www.unesco.org/en/education/sustainable-development/climate-change

Stocker, T. (Ed.). (2014). Climate change 2013: the physical science basis: Working Group I contribution to the Fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge university press.

García-León, D., Casanueva, A., Standardi, G., Burgstall, A., Flouris, A. D., & Nybo, L. (2021). Current and projected regional economic impacts of heatwaves in Europe. Nature communications, 12(1), 1-10.

Hung, C. C. (2022). Climate change education: Knowing, doing and being. Taylor & Francis.

Kembara, M. D., Hanny, R., Gantina, N., Kusumawati, I., Budimansyah, D., Sunarsi, D., & Khoiri, A. (2020). Scientific Literacy Profile Of Student Teachers On Science For All Context. Solid State Technology, 63(6), 5844-5856.

Molthan-Hill, P., Blaj-Ward, L., Mbah, M. F., & Ledley, T. S. (2022). Climate change education at universities: Relevance and strategies for every discipline. In Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation (pp. 3395-3457). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Ndlovu, M., Clulow, A. D., Savage, M. J., Nhamo, L., Magidi, J., & Mabhaudhi, T. (2021). An assessment of the impacts of climate variability and change in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Atmosphere, 12(4), 427.

Vasconcelos, M. L., & Vasconcelos, C. (2022). Environmental Education for Sustainable Development: Working for Fundamental Rights. In Enhancing Environmental Education Through Nature-Based Solutions (pp. 39-52). Springer, Cham.

Jackson, K. M., Pukys, S., Castro, A., Hermosura, L., Mendez, J., Vohra-Gupta, S., ... & Morales, G. (2018). Using the transformative paradigm to conduct a mixed methods needs assessment of a marginalized community: Methodological lessons and implications. Evaluation and Program Planning, 66, 111-119.

The New York Times ( March 14, 2023) Cyclone Freddy Brings Mudslides and Floods, Leaving Nearly 200 Dead in Malawi. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/world/africa/cyclone-freddy-malawi-mudslides-flooding.html

Reuters (March 17, 2023). California flooded with rain; Northeast buried under snow. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/noreaster-buries-parts-new-england-while-more-floods-threaten-california-2023-03-15/